Typhoons that hit the philippines

As the biggest storm of the year in the region hit the Philippines, six people were buried by landslides, a girl drowned and a security guard was crushed by a falling wall. "As we go forward, this number will go higher," Ricardo Jalad, head of the national civil defence office, told reporters. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), a U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for issuing tropical cyclone warnings for the Pacific and Indian Oceans, said the typhoon will head towards southern China and make landfall early Monday. As the powerful storm left the Southeast Asian archipelago and barrelled towards densely populated Hong Kong, Philippine authorities began sending search teams to remote areas hit by communication and power outages, AFP reported Sunday. Mangkhut forced thousands to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter from powerful winds and heavy rains. Photo by AFP/Noel Celis In the northern town of Baggao, the storm had collapsed houses, torn off … [Read more...] about Typhoon Mangkhut smashes the Philippines, barrels towards Hong Kong

1. Disputes over island sovereignty
Disputes over territorial sovereignty of the seas between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) became more tense on November 23 after Beijing unilaterally declared an air defence identification zone (ADIZ), which overlaps territorial waters claimed by Japan and the RoK. 2. Political instability in several Southeast Asian nations Thailand experienced a seriously political crisis in late October due to profound party conflicts. To put an end to continuous rallies by anti-government demonstrators, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on December 9, announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives and confirmed that an early election will be held on February 2, 2014.
Meanwhile, political tension in Cambodia accelerated when the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party rejected the results of the July 28 general election, according to which the ruling Cambodian People's Party won 68 out of the 123 parliamentary seats. 3. New … [Read more...] about Global stories that hit the headlines in 2013

A powerful typhoon has hit the north-east Philippines, in Cagayan province, killing two people and cutting electricity supplies to many parts of the region. Warnings of flash floods, landslides and storm surges forced thousands of people to higher ground. Noul is the strongest storm to hit the Philippines so far this year. The storm, with wind speeds of 220km/h (137mph), is expected to move towards Taiwan and Japan on Tuesday. The Philippines sees frequent extreme weather - more than 7,000 people were killed when Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013. Two men were electrocuted on Sunday while fixing the roof of their house in Aparri town. However, authorities said they did not expect high casualty numbers as most people had followed evacuation orders. "They've learned their lesson from past storms," Norma Talosig, the regional civil defence director, told AFP news agency. Safer grounds Typhoon Noul, locally called Dodong, made landfall on Sunday in Cagayan province, about 400km (250 miles) … [Read more...] about Typhoon Noul hits the Philippines forcing evacuations

Powerful typhoon Haima has hit the northeastern Philippine coast, destroying houses, displacing tens of thousands and threatening millions of residents. Haima has a weather band of 800km that puts more than 10 million people across the northern parts of the Philippines' main island of Luzon within its reach, according to the government's disaster risk management agency. Residents of the northern and eastern parts of the main island of Luzon were put on alert: Evacuations were ordered, some flights were cancelled and the Philippine Coast Guard banned sea travel and fishing. President Rodrigo Duterte said all possible preparations had been made for Haima, with tens of thousands of people evacuated, but he still struck an ominous tone. “We only pray we be spared the destruction such as the previous times, which brought agony and suffering,” Duterte said in Beijing, during a state visit. “But we are ready. Everything has been deployed.” An average of 20 typhoons … [Read more...] about Super typhoon Haima hits Philippines

The storm swept into the South China Sea before dawn Sunday after hitting the western tourist island of Palawan overnight Saturday, the state weather service said. Photo: xinhua.net According to the local police, more than 40,000 people have fled to evacuation camps while the International Federation of Red Cross reported that the tropical storm has displaced more than 70,000 people. The remote village of Dalama is the hardest-hit where over 100 houses were wiped out by flash floods. The search and rescue mission is underway but faces many difficulties as heavy rains keep pouring down. The Philippine authority has continued calling at-risk residents to flee home. Typhoon Tembin hit the Philippines a week after typhoon Kai Tak claimed dozens of lives and left over 20 people missing in the country. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Typhoon Tembin: Death toll rises to 240 in the Philippines